Will you be my dream come true?
by Capt'n Lizzle
Summary: Naruto: The Next Generation. NaruHina's daughter is in love with SasuSaku's son. The Uchiha's left for four years, before which she fessed up and he turned her down. After the Uchiha's returned, is he still the boy she loved? What happens when he's suddenly intolerable and unexpectedly in love with her? Will she be his girlfriend, something she always dreamed about? M to be sure.
1. Prologue

I ran through the streets, breathing heavily. Maybe I could make it in time. I dearly hoped so. This was my last chance.  
"Itachi!" I yelled, rounding a corner and practically running into him. Well, actually running into him. The only reason that I didn't fall was that he grabbed hold of me and kept me steadily onto my feet. As usual.  
"Jeez, calm down Kush. You didn't really think I was gonna go without saying goodbye, now did you?" he said, smirking.  
"Well, they said you guys already left," I stammered, clutching my side and trying to catch my breath.  
"Tairo?" He guessed. "You really believe the biggest prankster of the village? Seriously Kush," he continued, shaking his head.  
I threw my arms around him, hugging him as hard as I could. Tears were forming in my eyes. Oh how I would miss this boy.  
"Uhm, Kush?" Itachi coughed, making clear that I should let go. I did and took a step back.  
I stared at my shoes, suddenly scared to actually do it. I just stood there for a moment, weighing my options. I was staring at the ground, moving my legs around, shoulders pulled up high. My body was al tense, my every move showing how nervous I was.  
I heard him sigh.  
"Is there something wrong?" He said, suddenly close to me.  
I looked up to see his face close to mine, his eyes worriedly studying mine. I couldn't look away. I gathered up my courage, while I still had the opportunity. I moved my face closer to his, steadily.  
At the last moment, he pulled me into a hug. I didn't know what to do. I knew it had been obvious, what I'd been up to and I surely hadn't expected this.  
"I – I love you, Itachi-kun," I whispered so softly that I wasn't even sure if he'd heard it.  
"I love you too, Kush. And I'll miss you. You're like my second sister." He smiled and held me at an arm's length. He gave me a pat on the head. Then he turned and walked away.  
That was all it took. Three sentences. Two to get my hopes up. One to crush my heart into a million pieces.  
And then he was gone. For four years.


	2. Meeting again

My name's Kushina Mai Uzumaki. My parents named my after my grandma. Yeah, real original. I don't want to be named after someone else. I don't want to be a copy. I'm me.

It's been four years since I last saw Itachi. It was one of the most embarrassing moment of my life. I was twelve, he was fifteen and I had a huge crush on him. It started off with liking to hang out with him, then I started to get jealous when he hung out with other girls or talked about girls, basically anything that had to do with other girls. And then I started dreaming about him.  
The Uchihas moved to some other village about four years ago. And I'd tried to kiss him right before they left. The endresult? A broken heart.  
The worst thing, though, was that they'd be back about now. They could return any day and I was getting more nervous and annoyed every single day. I didn't want to see Itachi. It would be too awkward.  
But, since our dads are best friends, I would definitely see him. They'd come to dinner at our place and I'd have to spend the entire night laughing and generally pretending like nothing happened. Like I hadn't tried to kiss him. Like my heart hadn't been broken.  
And yes, it had been that bad. Because you know what? I still think about him every day. I haven't been able to put him out of my mind. I don't like any other guys. I dream about him. About how, when we see each other again, he'll realize what a huge mistake he made. He'll try to apologize, but I'll be mad. He'll chase after me time after time, until finally, I forgive him and we'll have our passionate kiss in the rain.  
But of course, that will not happen. Thank you, overactive imagination, for getting my hopes up. Every single time.

"MAI!"  
I startled.  
"Huh? What's going on?" I asked.  
"Jeez, Mai. I've trying to reach you for, like, five minutes. Stop going deaf," Tairo complained.  
"You were thinking about something, weren't you?" Setsuna smiled.  
"Yeah kinda. Sorry, Tairo." I said, smiling apologetically.  
"Don't bust your ass, Tairo. Calm down," Jirou scolded. "Jeez."  
"Calm down, my ass." Tairo muttered.  
I chuckled. Those two were just hilarious.  
Jirou was the lazy type, always sitting or hanging on to something. He was the dreamy type, always philosophic, watching the clouds and stuff.  
Tairo was wild and energetic. He had quite the temperament and was a total prankster. He was kind of a bully sometimes, though.  
Setsuna was quiet and calm. She was really clueless and a bit apathic, she just didn't understand people. She didn't get mad easily, but when she did, you'd better watch out.  
"Jirou! Let's go! We don't want mom getting angry, now do we?" Kazumi yelled from across the building. We all hung out on the top of a building. There was a bench that was perfect for lying down and gazing at the stars at night. And there was enough room for the energetic people.  
Our group consisted of Kaori, aged 18; Kazumi, aged 18 as well; me, Kushina, Takara, Setsuna and Kosuke, all aged 17 and Tairo and Jirou, aged 16.  
Kazumi and Jirou were brothers and their mom was super scary when she was mad. Even Tairo was scared of her, although he wouldn't admit it, of course. I have to say, Kazumi kinda resembled his mother. He has quite a temper and you don't want to see him angry. Jirou was more like his father, laid-back.  
Kazumi and Kaori, the two oldest, were a couple. Well, not officially, but everybody knew it was happening any day now.  
I mostly hung out with Setsuna, Tairo and Jirou. Takara, Kosuke, Kazumi and Kaori hung out with each other more. We were all good friends though and I had some great times with Kaori and Kosuke.

So, Kazumi and Jirou left for home, which left me, Setsuna and Tairo. Kaori and Kosuke were talking, a bit further away from us.  
I felt like there was something blooming between Setsuna and Tairo and Jirou had agreed with me. Of course the two of them denied it firmly.  
So now I was there with those two. Setsuna giggled at practically everything Tairo said and Tairo was acting even more like a macho than usual. It's surprising that it's even possible.  
At times like this, I think about Itachi. I can't help it. Now it got me thinking again of how he would soon be back. Just thinking of facing him made me nauseous. I wasn't ready for this!  
How sad am I? Still thinking about the guy that broke my heart four years ago? Seriously!  
I scolded myself like this all the time.  
"I'm gonna go home, guys. See you later," I suddenly said and got up. I don't think Setsuna and Tairo even noticed that I left. It made me feel kind of sad. Two of my best friends didn't even notice me leaving, because they were too busy with each other.  
Stop bathing yourself in self pity, I told myself. Toughen up, idiot.

The next morning I woke up because of some noises downstairs. I figured Jiraiya and Iruka were fighting again. Jiraiya and Iruka are my two brothers and they're both younger than me. They were at that stage where they fought all the freaking time.  
When I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I didn't recognize them. I realized then that I had heard them before.  
They were back.  
My stomach hurt from the nerves and I tried to control my breathing. I just hoped I wouldn't shake. I hoped it wouldn't be too obvious, that I could at least appear normal.  
They're back, was the last thing I thought before my door was hurled open.  
"Kushy!" I heard a girl scream and felt a weight drop on me, blinding me for a minute.  
"Tsuna-chan?" I asked tentatively.  
A black-haired, black-eyed girl with a pretty face and a big goofy smile sat on my bed, grinning at me.  
"It's been four years, I've missed you nee-san! I've had to put up with Itachi without you," she pouted.  
I smiled wearily. She had some endearing charm that made me want to hug her, protect her.  
"It's nice to see you again, Kushina. It's been a while." I looked up to see my aunt Sakura standing in the doorway, looking at us and smiling.  
She wasn't really my aunt, but since my parents were best friends with them, they were practically family.  
"Yeah, it is," I answered. It was good to see everyone again, I'd really missed them.  
"Why don't we let you dress? We'll see you downstairs," Sakura said and motioned for Tsunade to follow her. I could hear their steps as they descended.  
Then it hit me that Sasuke would be here as well. Sasuke is Tsunade and Itachi's dad and Sakura's husband. He's like an uncle to me.  
Although, he was more than that, really. He was practically my second dad. I'd always had a special connection with him. He'd helped me train, talked with me, and messed around with me.  
We'd had this instant connection. We were alike in so many ways, it was like we were really related.  
And now I'd see him again, after four long years.

I quickly dressed, but took my time in the bathroom. I felt like I needed to look really good, probably because Itachi was going to be there.  
I worried a bit about what to put on, because I wanted to look good. Still, I wanted to look casual, like I hadn't really meant to look good. In the end, I chose a black tank top, along with some khaki trousers and the standard ninja vest and sandals. I'd probably end up training, so made sure to fasten my small bag with ninja gear around my right leg.  
I stepped down the stairs, slowly. My throat went dry.  
I stopped for a second at the end of the stairs. I could hear the booming laugh of my dad, quickly followed by uncle Sasuke's laugh. I could hear my mom and aunt Sakura talking, sometimes interrupted by Tsunade.  
I could hear everyone. Except for Itachi. Was he somewhere else? Or was he just sitting there in a corner, all silent? Maybe he was thinking about me, waiting until I'd show up. And when I enter he'll jump up and take me into his arms and… Shut up, I told myself. I was going to get myself hyperventilating again.  
"Kush? What're you standing there for? Come on!" Tsunade suddenly stood in front of me. She took my hand and pulled me into the living room.  
Jiraiya's gaze was following Tsunade everywhere. Oh boy, looks like he had a crush on her. Well, she was very beautiful.  
Iruka was sitting on my mom's lap, reading one of his comics. Aunt Sakura was sitting across the table from her, the seat next to her empty. I guess that's where Tsunade had sat. Jiraiya sat across the table from her, next to my mom.  
My dad and uncle Sasuke were sitting on the couch.  
I froze for a second, confused. Itachi wasn't here. This possibility hadn't even crossed my mind.  
"You sure have grown, Kushina," Sasuke said, smirking.  
"Call her Mai if you don't want to get punched," Naruto, my dad, muttered, making Sakura and my mom giggle.  
I wasn't sure how to act, since I hadn't seen these people for four years. But my body moved faster than my brain and before I knew it I had my arms around my uncle and I was hugging him like crazy.

"That's unexpected," I heard my dad mutter. Damn, he did that often. I usually responded by punching him. Tchk, old people.  
I was too busy with my uncle right now, but I made a mental note to hit him later on.  
He hugged me back and after a bit I let go. I felt kind of awkward, since I didn't know what to do now.  
Why am I always so awkward around everyone?  
He motioned for me to sit, so I sat down between my dad and him.  
"Itachi saw some of his old friends while we were making our way to your house and he's reconnecting with them. He'll visit later," Sasuke informed me. Everyone knew that we'd been best friends when we were kids.  
"Oh, okay," I answered. They probably thought I was disappointed. I was, in a way. But at the same time I was relieved. I really don't get myself most of the time.  
"Learned any new moves?" Sasuke asked. He used to train me, until they left.  
"Yeah, a lot. I bet I'd beat you," I said, grinning. The awkwardness was fading a bit, hanging out with these people just felt natural to me. They'd always been there.

"I should go, though. I was gonna meet up with Tairo and Jirou. We were gonna train a bit," I explained. We'd all been talking and messing around for a while now.  
"Can I come with you guys? It's been so long since I've seen the village!" Tsunade practically begged me. I didn't think Tairo would like it much, but I just couldn't tell Tsunade she couldn't. Still, an angry Tairo would ruin the day.  
"I wouldn't mind, but you know how Tairo is," I said, smiling apologetically.  
"No, I don't. I haven't seen him for four years," Tsunade said sourly. She was pouting just the tiniest bit.  
"Well, he'd get angry. He doesn't like being around too many people and he'll just point all his frustration at me. And you do not want to deal with an angry Tairo." I sighed. "Man, he's a pain in the ass."  
That got them all snickering.  
"Fine," Tsunade pouted.  
"You can hang out with me, Tsubaki, Hotaru, Koji and Saya," Jiraiya said, grinning sheepishly.  
"Fine," Tsunade sighed. I knew she was faking that last one. She did actually like all those kids. Except for Jiraiya, because he was being really creepy right now. Poor girl.

I headed outside and started making my way over to our usual meeting place. I was thinking all along the way. About how weird it was seeing them again, after all this time.  
"OI! Mai! Stop dreaming! Seriously!" Tairo was shouting at me.  
"Calm your ass, Tairo." Jirou was lying on the bench, gazing at the clouds.  
I'd halted, frozen in place. I was staring at the bench. Or more specifically, at the person that was sitting on it, next to Jirou. Being in the place I'd least expect to see him.  
Itachi.


	3. Need a tutor?

"Uhm, you're in my spot," I said lamely. He was actually sitting where I usually sat, but yeah, it just sounded lame. Plus, I really didn't expect this. Still, it's not really an excuse for being super lame.  
I saw Jirou lift his eyebrow, looking at me skeptically. Since Itachi and I used to be best friends, I guess he'd expected to leap into his arms or something like that. Well, sorry to disappoint you.  
"Geez, Mai, don't be such a kid. He just got back, give him a break," Tairo commented. Huh, apparently he'd expect me to react like that when someone sits in my spot. I really don't have a good reputation, now do I?  
Itachi looked taken aback a bit, but then he laughed.  
"Not changed even a bit, huh?" It was more a statement than a question.  
Wait, even he thought it was logical that I'd say something like that? Seriously? What the hell kind of impression did people have of me?!  
I was still a bit in shock, blinking several times before being able to response. Of course, their comments hadn't really helped.  
"Uh," I muttered intelligently. Wow. So not awkward, Mai. Good job, I told myself.  
Itachi scooped over to the side of the bench.  
"Well, take your seat," he smiled.  
"Oh, yeah. Uh, thanks," I walked over and sat down, keeping lots of distance between me and Itachi. I ended up sitting so close to Jirou, our side were touching. Again, he gave me a skeptical look. I just looked away. Very smooth, Mai. Very smooth.  
Even Tairo gave me a weird look.  
I heard some giggles a bit further away and started hoping for my salvation.  
"I'm not contagiously sick, you know," Itachi joked. Tairo snickered and even Jirou smiled a bit.  
I just looked at my feet. They were extremely interesting lately.  
"Fascinating shoes you have," Itachi continued. This guy just loved teasing me, now didn't he?  
"Weren't we gonna train today?" I asked Jirou, completely ignoring Itachi.  
I'd decided on a course of acting. I didn't know how to act towards him, so I wouldn't act at all. I was totally going to ignore him.  
I knew Itachi was looking at me, but I kept looking at Jirou. I was determined to go through with this.  
"Itachi-kun! You're back!"  
Setsuna, Takara and Kaori had arrived. Takara'd had a crush on Itachi as well. I'd even seen them flirt, but they hadn't gotten together.  
Now, she ran and hugged him. Setsuna and Kaori just walked over to us at their normal speed. They smiled at Itachi and told him how it was to have him back here. Tch.  
"Finally, someone acting normal," Jirou muttered so softly only I could hear it. I just rolled my eyes.  
"And yeah, we were. But since Itachi's come back today, we should be here to welcome him and guide him around the village. Well, we thought we'd leave that to you. We figured you guys would want to catch up," he continued at a normal volume.  
"Oh. Eh, well, you guys can do it. It's fine with me. I should train anyway. It's been a while," I answered, fidgeting with my thumb ring.  
"You don't have to show me around, I don't think that much has changed, right? I'd like some training as well, we didn't really get the chance for that while we were traveling here," Itachi said, looking at me directly.  
Oh no. No. No. This was not going as planned. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I got the feeling that he wanted to train just because I was going to. But I've been paranoid before.

"Sure, fine with me. We'll go with you guys then. Our plans will just go on," Jirou said.  
Tairo probably hadn't even been following the conversation since Setsuna got here. The two were talking and laughing.  
"Oi! Shithead! Get your ass over here!" I yelled. Tairo looked at me, shithead was my little nickname for him. It was the only name he reacted to, I'd found out through experience.  
"What do you want, Kushina," he pronounced my name a bit exaggeratedly, probably to emphasize it. Your revenge just isn't working, monkey boy. Yeah, I use a lot of weird nicknames in my head. He did remind me of a monkey sometimes.  
"We're going training, you coming along?" I asked.  
He shook his head.  
"Setsuna and I are just gonna hang out a bit," he answered.  
"Aw, you two lovebirds finally going on a date? I'm so proud," I said, wiping some imaginary tears away.  
Jirou cracked up and Itachi laughed as well. That annoyed me a bit. I know I'm irrational, but I don't like it when people I don't like or am pretending not to like, laugh at my jokes and stuff like that. Yes, I'm weird.  
Tairo blushed and muttered something I couldn't quite hear, although it was probably an insult.  
"Well, let's go," Jirou said and got up. "Are you two coming?" He asked Takara and Kaori.  
"Nah, we're waiting for Kazumi," Kaori answered with a smile.  
"Good luck," I snorted. Kazumi was hopeless, always late. Horribly late.  
So, Jirou, Itachi and I headed for our training spot.  
The training fields were huge, with some forest in between as well. You could use the forest for training too, which was really handy.  
"So, let's see all your new moves," Itachi said. It wasn't directed at anyone in general, but he was looking at me. And I knew he meant it for me.  
It was kind of creepy, the way he kept looking at me. It wasn't just looked, he gazed at me intently. His eyes searched for mine, but I could barely look at him in general, let alone look into his eyes. The way he was looking at me made me feel self conscious and I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling protective. That got him to smirk.  
"Why don't you two battle, I'll sit here and tell you guys what you could work on," Jirou said and sat down.  
"Tchk," I hissed. Typical. Jirou was the laziest guy I knew and apparently he'd gotten it from his dad.  
How was I supposed to fight him if I couldn't even look at him?  
"How do you fight?" Itachi asked, sounding curious.  
"Do you always ask your enemies for hints?" I snapped.  
"Mai fights with taijutsu, so body combat and weapons. And since her eyes aren't great, she mostly uses her other senses," Jirou informed him. I gave him the evil eye. Did he really have to go spouting information about me?  
"You have problems with your eyes?" Itachi asked and I thought he looked rather worried. That just made me annoyed. I hated it when people pitied me for something small like that. They usually went through trouble to get me something extra and stuff like that. I hated it. I wasn't handicapped or something. I got along just fine. I wasn't weak.  
I didn't answer. Again, I looked at my feet.  
I suddenly felt a strange sensation, I couldn't really identify it. And then I felt the edge of a sword pressed against my throat.

My eyes flew open in shock and I didn't even have to think to know what to do. My body already did.  
I pushed myself backwards, into the person that was standing behind, in order to get as much distance between me and the sword as I could. While doing that, I simultaneously swung my head back to knock my opponent in the face and I elbowed the person in the stomach. Sadly, the person was so tall that my head knocked his chest. And since Itachi wasn't standing in front of me anymore, I knew it was him.  
He pulled the sword away and whispered in my ear: "You would've been dead if this was a real fight."  
That did it.  
I turned around and swung my leg in the air, hitting him in his side. A small 'oempf' noise escaped his throat, giving me a short moment of satisfaction before my arms were wrenched into a position where I couldn't move. Well, I could, but I'd break both of my arms in doing so. Not really a good choice, I'd say.  
"You could really use some practice, it seems," Itachi commented. I could hear the smile in his voice.  
"Just let me go. I don't need your approval," I said.  
He let go of one of my arms and holding on to the other one, he spun me around so I was facing him.  
We were standing so close I could feel his breath on my hair. He was at least 30 centimeters larger than me, so my face was at the height of his shoulder.  
My left hand was on his chest, trying to get some distance. He still had his hand around my right arm, keeping me close to him.  
I could've gotten away, I think. But being this close to him just numbed me. I didn't know how to respond to this.  
He'd angled his head down and whispered in my ear.  
"Maybe some tutoring would be helpful?" I knew he was smirking. I saw the image perfectly in my head. I could feel my knees trembling slightly. My sped only the tiniest bit and I'm sure my breathing was faster than normal. I just hoped Jirou didn't notice. I knew Itachi did. Why would he tease me like that otherwise?  
His other hand was on my shoulder and I knew I would've fallen if he hadn't supported me.  
Jirou coughed and Itachi let go of me, grinning at Jirou like nothing happened. I was looking at my feet again.  
I felt I could burst into tears anytime. How could he be so cruel? He knew I'd had feelings for him, he turned me down anyway. And now he acted like this?  
I felt something well up, from deep inside my stomach, slowly making its way upward. My jaws clenched and my hands curled into fists. My nails pierced my skin, but I didn't really feel it. I just felt numb, except for the anger rising.  
And then I punched him square in the face. It happened so fast and unexpected that he hadn't seen it coming.  
And then I ran away, not listening to Itachi's curses or Jirou calling me.

I kept on running mindlessly. I didn't know where I was heading and I didn't care.  
I halted after a while to catch my breath. I was clutching my sides, which were stinging from the exertion.  
I took in my surroundings. I was in a forest, from the sort of trees I could derive that I'd covered quite some distance.  
Just thinking about what had happened at the training field made my knees buckle and my eyes fill with tears.  
I'd absolutely loved being so close to Itachi. I loved him.  
I hated myself for being so weak and succumbing to his seduction and I hated him for trying to.  
He'd never showed any interest in me anyway. Until now, that is.


	4. That's deep, bro

"Mai?" A voice sounded softly.  
I'd been sitting on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a tree, just staring into space.  
I looked up, finding Tairo crouching in front of me. His eyes had a worried look in them and he seemed so sweet and understanding. He cared about me.  
"What's up with you? I don't think I've known you not yelling," I sneered, not ready to be nice just yet.  
He sighed and sat down next to me, still very serious.  
"So what's going on? Jirou told me about what happened at the training field." He asked. Before I could answer he chuckled.  
" Pretty damn awesome how you hit him, though." He let me know.  
That got a chuckle out of me as well. He was just so damn cheery. And it had been totally awesome to hit Itachi like that. I'd always held back whenever I felt angry. And I'd just snapped, letting loose not only my anger at Itachi, but all of it. All the annoyances and frustrations that had been slowly building up inside of me.  
It had been so liberating.  
I felt free now, like the weight I hadn't even felt had been lifted off my shoulder.  
The chuckle evolved into a full laugh and Tairo laughed with me. And then it just turned into the giggles. I was laughing at his laugh because, damn, that kid has a hilarious laugh. He was just laughing at mine.  
When it ended, I was on the verge of tears, clutching my hurting stomach and I'm sure Tairo was feeling the same way.  
I wiped my eyes, still giggling a little bit and sighed.  
"Damn, that felt great," I said and he nodded in agreement.  
Then he got all serious again.  
"But, seriously. What's going on, Mai? Didn't you guys used to be best friends?" He asked.  
I sighed, this time because I was actually a bit tired. The day wasn't even over yet and there'd been so many emotional encounters. I just wanted to crawl up under the sheets and pass into the sweet oblivion that sleep provided.  
I sagged a bit and leaned my head on his shoulder. This was exactly why Tairo was one of my best friends. He may be a bit rude and kind of a bully sometimes, but he's always really sweet and caring when he needs to be. And he won't go chatting to everyone. I know he'll keep my secrets. Sure, he'll threaten to tell people when he's joking around, but he'd never actually tell anyone.  
So, I told him how I'd fessed up to Itachi and how he'd reacted. Of course he already knew what had happened at the training field and now he understood.  
"Damn, that's deep." He said.  
"What on earth is deep about that, idiot?" I asked, pulling a face. He answered that by putting his hand on my face and pushing me down.  
"Don't pull such moronic faces, Mai!" He scolded. I just laughed and pulled another weird face.  
We did this all the time, some harmless teasing. It really was fun to hang out with Tairo.  
We used to hang out all the time, but then Setsuna started showing interest in him. And yeah, you know the rest.

"I'm gonna go home, I'm starving!" Tairo said, clutching his stomach in exasperation.  
I punched his shoulder and called him an idiot.  
We'd been sitting there for a couple of hours, messing around and talking. We'd been switching between banter and serious conversations all the time.  
Somewhere in these hours he'd put his arm around me with me still leaning my head on his shoulder. We'd watched the sun set that way.  
No, we weren't a couple or anything remotely in that direction. Just really close friends. I'd known him forever, but we'd only gotten close after Itachi left. And we did behave like a couple sometimes, but we really didn't have any feelings for each other. I mean, Tairo's behavior when Setsuna was near made it clear enough.  
So, we both made our way home.  
I hoped the Uchiha's had already gone home, but the chance was very slim.  
Well, I'd punched Itachi anyway, so there was no need to try and be nice to him.

As soon as I opened the front door, I heard a scream and got tackled to the floor.  
"Wha- oemph!" Yeah, that was the sound that I made.  
"Kushy-nee! Why did you hit Itachi?" Tsunade asked me.  
"Uh, maybe you could let me enter my house?" I suggested. She stood up and allowed me to do the same, but as soon as I got upright, she took my hand and half-dragged me into the living room.  
Everyone was there, including Itachi, who was holding an ice pack to his cheek with a sour expression on his face.  
I couldn't help but burst into laughing at his expression. I guess my hanging out with Tairo was still influencing me, because my stomach started hurting pretty soon again and I was very close to rolling on the floor from the laughing.  
I could hear some disapproving noises and Itachi growling, but I just couldn't resist. When it finally subdued, I was wiping the tears from my eyes.  
"That's quite a sight, the amazing Itachi staring at me with a sour face like that, holding an ice pack to his face," I said, smirking.  
"Maybe you could explain exactly why you hit my son," Aunt Sakura said, looking at me disapprovingly. Of course she would disapprove of me hitting her son.  
I shrugged and walked over to the refrigerator.  
"He was asking for it," I said, while choosing an apple and taking a bite from it. I leaned against the counter as they observed me.  
"You don't feel any remorse?" My mom asked. She's always such a sweetie, always worried about everything.  
"Not the tiniest bit," I announced.  
"And how was I asking for it?" Itachi growled.  
"Uh, let's see. What about the 'in a real fight you'd be dead by now' and the 'you could use some practice' or the 'maybe some tutoring would be helpful'?" I mimicked his voice.  
That got him to blush the tiniest bit and I knew he hadn't expected me to act this way.  
Sasuke gave Itachi a look, lifting his eyebrow. My dad, on the other hand, looked like he was about to smack the living hell out of Itachi.  
"Hitting on my little girl?!" He started yelling, but Sasuke kept him on the couch.  
"Chill out, idiot. She punched him, didn't she?" He told him.  
"Dad, I can take care of myself," I muttered. I still found it nice that he reacted like that. It was adorable in a way.  
"Damn right she did," my dad said, grinning like a fool. Sasuke let out a small chuckle at that.  
"Oi! Don't go encouraging her to hit our son!" Sakura exclaimed.  
"I didn't even hit him that hard," I muttered. "It's not my fault he's weak."  
"Weak? I thought I beat you at least three times before you were able to land even one punch," Itachi retorted.  
"Didn't I kick you in side too? I think you're forgetting my awesome fighting abilities," I snapped.  
"Awesome?" He snorted. "Allow me to apologize for not realizing your greatness, oh Princess." He actually bowed to me.  
I clenched my jaw, trying not to show just how much he annoyed me. He'd gotten so self-centered, like he owed the place.  
"Well, I'm not the one holding an ice pack to their face. So, yeah, you could say I'm pretty awesome for beating the oh-so-amazing Itachi-kun," I said languorous, imitating how Takara'd spoken to him earlier.  
Now he was definitely blushing.  
I could see my dad getting red, probably because of me this time. Sakura was looking at me rather, well, rather hostile.  
"Kushy-nee, you're so awesome!" Tsunade cooed, earning a disapproving look from her mom.  
I guess I'd always been rather rebellious.  
"So annoying, you mean," Jiraiya muttered under his breath.  
"Then why don't you stop being such a pervert, Jira-chan," I retorted.  
"Oi! I'm not a pervert! Look at yourself before you accuse someone!" He shouted.  
Okay, honestly, I'd be the first to crack up at a perverted joke. What can I say? Tairo had corrupted me.  
"Alright, that's enough. We're all going to have dinner together and we're all going to be nice to each other. Understood?" My mom said. Uh-oh. She almost never got mad, but when she did… Let's just say you'd better run for your life.  
My dad paled a bit and the Uchiha's looked rather scared after seeing the horror laid right across my face.  
"I-I'll just go wash up a bit," I said, grinning sacredly while scratching at my nervously and trying to look innocent. Which totally failed by the way.

I took way to long showering. I just loved standing there, letting the water flow over me. It was so, well, I don't really know how to describe it. I guess I just felt parted from the world and all the problem and annoyances that belonged to it. A small moment of bliss nothingness, just me and the thought swirling around in my head.  
I finally got the courage to step out from the hot water and climb out of the shower, into the cold bathroom.  
I'd just put a towel around myself when the door creaked open and I stared right into Itachi's face.  
"Kyaaaaaah!" I screamed and kicked my leg up high, hitting him in the face and sending him sprawled in the hallway.  
I threw the door closed with a whack.  
"Pervert!" I yelled at the top of my longs. Damn, that kid had some nerve entering the bathroom while I was still in it.  
I heard some commotion outside the bathroom, of course everybody'd heard everything.

When I got downstairs, Itachi sat there. This time without ice pack, but with a huge red mark on his cheek.  
"You obviously love wounding, don't you?" He commented.  
"That's what I do to perverts who sneak on girls in their bathroom," I snapped. Geez, acting all like he was the victim.  
I was happy that I'd at least had a towel around me already.  
"You're lucky I was actually wearing a towel already," I growled, staring him down. I had quite the scary gaze when I was mad. I guess I had that from my mom, although my temper was a tiny bit worse. Well, maybe more than a tiny bit.  
"Jiraiya told me you left the bathroom already, okay? Hit him, he's in fault," Itachi told me.  
"What." It wasn't even a question.  
"He's already gotten his punishment and he won't do it again," my mom said, looking at Jiraiya sternly.  
I slowly turned around, ending up facing my brother. I was staring down at him, the look on my face probably very creepy. I was so pissed my eye had started twitching.  
He jumped up and ran for his life.  
"OH YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS, SQUIRT!" I screamed and ran after him, chasing him around the house.  
Before I actually got my hands on him, I suddenly stopped moving. Sasuke'd grabbed me by my collar and kept me standing in the same place. I was trying to pull away and resume running after Jiraiya, so I was pretty much running in place.  
"DAMNIT! LEMME TEACH THAT BASTARD A LESSON!" I yelled.  
"I'm not letting you go before you calm down," Sasuke answered, still keeping me there.  
I stopped running and pretended to calm down.  
"Fine, but I ain't responsible for any damage," I snorted.  
He let me go and I burst through the door.  
"Jiraiya? Where are you? You can run, but you can't hide!" I sung creepily, like the melody of a horror movie.  
When I found him, fear was etched onto his face.  
Then I got hit.  
"KUSHINA MAI UZUMAKI."  
Uh-oh. You know you're in trouble when your mom calls you by your full name.  
"WHAT DID I TELL ABOUT CHASING YOUR BROTHER LIKE THAT?"  
"Eh, well, I think," I didn't even get the chance to finish.  
Let's just conclude dinner that night wasn't very pleasant for anyone.  
By the time I got to bed, I was exhausted and I fell asleep instantly.  
I dreamed about Itachi.


	5. Late night kiss

"AHAHAHAAAAH!" Tairo laughed.  
I'd just explained how Itachi'd entered the bathroom yesterday. Jirou grinned.  
"Calm down, Mai," he said when I stared evilly at them. "He didn't see anything, now did he?"  
I shook my head, sighed and laid down on the bench. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and relaxed.

"So troublesome. She's sleeping again," I heard Jirou complain.  
I opened my eyes.  
"What's going on?" I asked, yawning and rubbing my eyes. It seems I'd fallen asleep.  
"What's going on is that I've been yelling at you and shaking you for about five minutes now and you haven't even stirred," Tairo growled. He seemed really agitated and angry.  
"Don't mind him, he was just worried," Jirou explained.  
I was a very tight sleeper. I didn't wake up easily. Hell, if even Tairo couldn't wake me, I was definitely a tight sleeper. That kid's the loudest person I know.  
"We kept Itachi from kissing you awake though. We're against suicide, you know." Jirou mentioned.  
I blushed, blinking a few times while it was sinking in.  
"WHAT?!" I yelled, jumping up. "Where is that guy?! I'll kick his ass for even thinking it!"  
"I already did, Mai," Tairo sighed. "Geez, you think we'd let him do that after you punched the guy like that at the training field?"  
That got me silent.  
"You kicked his ass?" I asked skeptically. I didn't think they'd do that, Itachi being their friend and all.  
"Sadly, yes. He was just kidding, but you know Tairo. I don't Itachi will be trying anything again, any time soon," Jirou said, eyeing Tairo, who just shrugged.  
That made me feel good, two guys keeping me safe. Jirou and Tairo didn't give a very good first impression to people, but they were really good friends. They were loyal, sweet and sometimes a bit macho. If you talked to them alone they were really sweet and caring, but if they were together they'd just complain about each other all the time. Add me and you'd have some awesome jokes and a lot of laughing. And the occasional fight from time to time.

We were having lunch in this little place somewhere in the village. I'd been shopping with my mom, my aunt Sakura and Tsunade.  
I wasn't very happy though.  
My mom and aunt Sakura were chatting all the time, occasionally asking me or Tsunade something. Tsunade was constantly chatting to me, not leaving any time for me to respond or say anything.  
I was seriously getting a headache.  
I was eating some ramen and aunt Sakura was commenting on how I should eat more ladylike. In response I slurped a bit louder.  
I don't like it when people tell me what to do. If they ask it, fine, I'm okay with that. At least it's polite. But just telling people to do something because you think it's more proper? No. I just hated that. It's like they think they're better than you, that they know it better than you, that you're doing it wrong.  
I didn't like that side of aunt Sakura. She could be very strict about her ideas of the proper way to act as a girl. Especially when her and my mom's old friend Ino was with them. Ugh, those two made me nuts when they were together. Ino had even told me I needed to diet once, completely serious.  
She was Setsuna's mom and of course Setsuna and Sakura's daughter Tsunade were perfect girl with perfect girl behavior. But not me. I acting like a guy sometimes and I was secretly proud of it.  
Probably because I spent so much time with my dad.

After lunch we made our way through the shops a bit more. We entered this clothing shop and they all starting looking at stuff.  
I looked around a bit too, but everything was just too girly and glamorous for me with a lot of ruffles.  
I usually just wore pants or short with a tank top or a shirt.  
"C'mon, Kushina, let's go fit all of this," aunt Sakura called me, her arms full of clothing.

"Wait, why do I have to fit anything?" I asked, wearing a purple, sparkly dress full of ruffles. It stopped right above my knees and I felt like a little girl.  
"A girl shouldn't dress like a boy," aunt Sakura said. I made a sound of disagreement. I didn't even dress like a guy. Geez.  
"Well, I'm definitely not wearing this," I said, looking at my image in the mirror and frowning.  
"Why not? It looks lovely on you!" She answered.  
I looked at my mom and saw her worried expression. Of course she knew how bad I was going to be laughed at if I wore this.  
"I'm a ninja. We're not supposed to wear dresses," I reasoned.  
"I have just the thing for you," She said and left. Damnit, that woman didn't know when to stop.  
I quickly got out of the dress and gave it to my mom, who put it away.  
"You're not going to make me wear any of that, right?" I asked her, worry plain in my voice.  
"Of course not, sweetheart. If you don't like it, you don't wear it." She sighed. "Sakura just really likes shopping. "  
Speak of the devil and you see its tail.  
She turned up with a dress and made me try it on.  
When I looked in the mirror I thought it wasn't all that bad. It wasn't really my style, but it was better than anything she'd ever gotten me.  
It was a white dress a black silk ribbon tied around the waist, the bow on the right side of my waist. It stopped some 20 centimeters above my knees. It was quite high in the front, so there was definitely no cleavage. It did have an open back, so I'd need a strapless bra or something.  
"How about that?" She asked, smiling. "You still need something for the party we're giving tomorrow night, for us being back in Konoha."  
I kept looking at my reflection in the mirror.  
Long black hair that seemed a dark blue when the light shone on it, pulled into a high ponytail, bangs covering my right eye. Light grey eyes, which stood a little bit too close to each other, I found. A thin, straight nose. Two pink lips, pulled into a faint smile.  
Broad shoulders, but not too broad for a girl. A rather small chest. A high waist. Broad hips. Rather long legs.  
The dress really made my waist seem thinner and my legs seem longer. The white color made me seem even more tanned.  
It was really pretty.  
"Oh…You look like a princess, Kush!" Tsunade looked awed.  
I looked at my mom and she was smiling at me in that way that parents did. You know, they look at you with that weird look and you they're thinking about how proud they are about you.  
"I rather like it, although I don't usually wear dresses. With the open back and the short skirt and all. I'm not sure if I will be comfortable in it," I said, chewing my lip. I was going to be so awkward dif I wore this to the party.  
"Oh, come on! You have to wear this! You'll be dancing all night if you do," Tsunade said with a wink.  
I blushed softly.  
"Okay, I'll wear it," I said, mostly out of vanity. I did like looking this pretty. And getting compliments is always nice.  
Girls always say they hate it when guys look at them, I don't know if it's true or not. At least not for me. It's kind of flattering in a way. Well, sometimes it's just gross. But most of the times I pretend like I hate it, but it secretly makes me feel good about myself.  
If I wore this at the party, damn I'd be getting looked at.

Setsuna, Kaori and Takara had come to my place a couple of hours before the party. We were going to do each other's make up, check the outfits out, etc. I was already afraid that I was going to look like one of Barbie dolls, wearing too much make up, so I made it clear from the beginning that I wanted Kaori to do mine. She wore make up a lot, so she knew enough to not mess it up and she also knew how to dose it.  
We chatted all along and I had a lot of fun. I usually preferred hanging out with guys, but it was good to be around girls from time to time. We gossiped and talked about boys and giggled.  
When we put on our dresses it became clear that I wasn't going to be the only one dressed up nicely, which was a relief.  
Takara put on my makeup and when I looked in the mirror it looked great. I had to admit I loved the way I looked with the dress and the makeup.  
"Girls, we're leaving!" My dad shouted and we rushed downstairs.  
As usual, my dad embarrassed me by checking me out and whistling. Awkward. I just rolled my eyes.  
"You look lovely," my mom smiled and I smiled back.  
"Ew, Kushina, you really set the world record for ugliest person," Jiraiya said and pretended to puke.  
"Oh, you definitely know how to charm the girls," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "No wonder Tsuna-chan doesn't like you."  
He growled at that and the girls giggled.  
"You look like princesses," Iruka said, grinning. Which got him kisses from all of my friends. That kid was quite the charmer. But who could blame him? He was irresistible cute.  
We got into the cars, girls and boys separate. In the girls car we were chatting animatedly again, my mom joining us.  
We got to the Uchiha's house and I started getting nervous. Itachi was going to be there and I hoped he didn't think I'd made myself pretty all for him. I hadn't. Well, that's what I'd like to think.

The party was quite cool as soon as the parents left. The music was cranked up and I was dancing with the girls. I hadn't seen Itachi yet and I was secretly glad for that. Jirou and Tairo and a couple of other guys hadn't arrived yet and I was starting to get anxious. Those two needed to get here. If they put on a slow, who'd I dance with?  
You know how it goes, as soon as you think of the worst-case-scenario, it happens. They put on a slow and I stood there a bit, looking lost. Kaori started slowing with Kazumi who, for once, wasn't late.  
Takara had found herself a guy to dance with and so had Setsuna. Tsunade was dancing with Jiraiya, looking only a bit displeased. Maybe something was growing there.  
And then Tairo showed up.  
"Tairo!" I sighed. "Thank god, I waiting for one of you to show up."  
He grinned and said they'd run into some delays. He noticed Setsuna was dancing with some other guy.  
"So, eh, I guess we should dance, huh?" He said a bit disappointed.  
I pouted.  
"Am I such a bad second choice?" I asked jokingly.  
He shook his head and laughed as he took me into his arms and I put my arms on his shoulders.  
We were quite close, but it wasn't awkward. We'd been close before and we were just joking around and talking right now.  
"So, Jirou's here as well?" I informed.  
"Yeah, probably sitting somewhere," he answered.  
I sighed. Typically.  
"Wouldn't I have though?" I laughed.  
As soon as the music stopped, we did as well. He took my hand and guided me through the crowd. There were a lot of people here.  
We saw Jirou leaning against the wall somewhere and went over to him.  
"So, you lazy bastard. Slacking off here?" I joked.  
He just shrugged and nodded.  
"A dress?" He asked, lifting his eyebrow. I shrugged.  
Tairo only seemed to notice now.  
"Mai in a dress? The hell?" He said, sounding really surprised. I blushed a bit and crossed my arms.  
"It's not that weird," I muttered.  
"You never wear a skirt or anything in that genre," Jirou mentioned.  
I shrugged again.  
"Looks good," Tairo said and then went to finding Setsuna again, leaving me alone with Tairo.  
I was left speechless. Tairo hadn't given me a complement yet, ever. Not seriously. Neither had Jirou. They'd teased me by complementing things that I hated about myself, but they'd never actually given me a complement. That's just boys I guess.  
We just stood there, talking and drinking a bit. After a while, I dragged Jirou from leaning against the wall and we were dancing a bit with a few others.  
Another slow came on and I was left alone with Jirou.  
Before any of us could ask the other, Itachi seemingly materialized next to me.  
"May I have a dance with the beautiful lady?" He asked, extending his hand.  
"Eh, well… I-I was already going to dance with Jirou, you see." I decided suddenly and grinned sheepishly at Itachi.  
Jirou, who's a complete genius, took my hand without a word and pulled me into his arms. We started dancing on the melody and Itachi soon left to find another girl.  
I hadn't been kidding. Jirou was a complete genius. He was extremely smart. It's actually one of the reasons why he's so lazy. Nothing is a challenge to him.  
Again, the slow was just talking, although the conversation with Jirou was always calmer and more philosophical for some reason.  
The slow ended and we ended up leaning against the wall again.  
Tairo and Setsuna joined us a bit later and we had a really nice conversation. We all laughed a lot and I could feel myself getting cheerier from the booze. I wasn't drunk, but maybe a little bit tipsy.  
It was getting pretty late and I had to go home soon. Iruka had gone to the parents' party together with Natsuki and Saya.  
"Guys, I have to go. See you tomorrow or something," I said.  
"Do you need me to go with you? You've been drinking quite a few drinks," Jirou said.  
"I'm not drunk or anything. Geez, Jirou. I can take a couple of drinks," I said, rolling my eyes. "But thanks anyway. You can be so cute at times." I grinned and pinched his cheek.

I was only a few steps down the street when someone called my name. I could still hear the music form in the house.  
I turned around and saw Itachi standing in front of me.  
"I didn't get a chance to tell you how lovely you look tonight yet," he said, smiling at me.  
He was about a head taller than me, so I had to look up to him.  
He looked so handsome right now. His pink hair was disheveled and slightly damp from dancing. You'd say the pink color of his hair would make him look girly, but he pulled it off. It only made him more handsome.  
His clear blue eyes stared into mine. He had such beautiful, magnetizing eyes.  
A tip-tilted nose in a square face with a strong jaw line and prominent cheekbones.  
So amazingly handsome.  
"I haven't gotten a slow yet," he said when a slow started again. I could hear the soft tunes from in the house.  
He held out his hand.  
I didn't even think when I place my hand in his, still magnetized by his eyes.  
He pulled me into his arms and we swayed there out on the street.  
We were really close to each other, still looking into the other's eyes. I could feel his breath on my lips and it was taking all my self control to not lean into him.  
The song was going towards its end and he leaning forward, ever so slowly. I felt like everything was going in slow-motion.  
And then his lips touched mine. It was short and sweet, like a butterfly. His lips brushed against mine and then he took al step back.  
I was standing there breathing heavily, my one hand keeping hold of my arm to steady myself. He still held my hand and he pressed a kiss onto it, bowing in the process.  
A giggle escaped my lips as I curtsied, not thinking. It was so much fun to just let go and flirt with him as I've always wanted.  
"Itachi!" Someone told him to come back inside.  
"Just one second!" He yelled back, then took a step towards me again. He'd let go of my hand and now he took hold of my face with both of his hands, leaning forward and gazing into my eyes deeply.  
"Get home safe, kay?" He asked and I nodded.  
His thumb caressed my cheek and he pressed a kiss to my forehead.  
Then he went back inside, leaving me on the street light-headed and giggly.


	6. My father?

"You did what?!" Tairo practically yelled.  
"Shh, act calm you idiot!" I scolded in a hushed tone.  
I felt like hitting myself for my stupidity. We were sitting on our bench again.  
"I knew I should've walked you home," Jirou sighed.  
I'd just told them about last night. As soon as I'd woken up and remembered everything I'd literally started hitting my head against the wall, cursing myself.  
"After we went through all that trouble so that he wouldn't wake you with a kiss, you just kiss him? Damn," Tairo muttered, a sour look on his face.  
"It's not like I kissed him. And it wasn't even a big deal!" I hurried making excuses. I refused to let myself consider the possibility that I'd liked it. Of course it was hard to deny thoughts from entering your mind.  
The kiss was haunting my mind. Sure, I could think of other things, but it always lingered in the back of my mind, waiting for an opportunity to leap back to the forefront.  
"You're one to speak, Tairo," Jirou said with an amused smile. I shot him a questioning look, but he just shook his head. So I looked at Tairo, expecting an explanation. He was blushing and refused to even look at me.  
"Two certain some ones were too busy doing something else to dance at the party after you left," Jirou said innocently, looking at me while lifting his eyebrows several times.  
"No way!" I gaped at Tairo, then grinned and started singing. "Tairo and Setsuna are sitting in the tree! K-I-S-S-I- WHOA" It ended in a scream as Tairo yelled for me to shut up, red as a tomato now and pushed me so I was pretty much lying on Jirou's lap.  
"Oi, oi. I don't need Mai lying on me, you know," Jirou mocking-growled and pushed me back, with me now falling on Tairo.  
"Geez, guys, I'm not some rock you can throw at each other," I scolded. I wasn't able to hold back my laugh though.  
It was funny how, when Tairo was embarrassed or sad or anything, Jirou seemed to take on his part by going all comedian-like.  
"Oh really?" Jirou asked and started to tickle my stomach. Tairo joined and I was soon laughing so hard my stomach hurt, tears in my eyes, rolling on the floor, clutching my stomach with my hands to protect myself and trying to kick them away from me. It ended in me kicking Jirou on his right cheek and Tairo in his stomach.  
I stayed still, taking deep breath to calm down, still giggling the slightest bit.  
We went over to my place, since it started to rain. We didn't want to go to Jirou's house, since his mom would nag at us and just get angry. Tairo's mom was really, but his dad freaked me out. He was even worse than Tairo and would just make weird jokes all the time.  
The house was empty. My parents had probably gone over to the Uchiha's and I guessed Iruka and Jiraiya were at school or hanging out with their friends. Maybe even training.  
We slunked down on the couch after I put some snacks on the table and started watching TV, munching on the food.  
I'd slept till 2 in the afternoon, so it was already around 9 PM when we decided to watch a movie instead watching random shows. They picked out some kind of action movie with a pretty girl in it, stereotypical stuff.  
As the movie progressed I was shifting from a sitting position to a lying position more and more. By the time my family got home, I was lying down. I'd fallen asleep somewhere along the movie.  
My feet were dangling from the end of the couch, legs and hips on Jirou's lap, my upper body on my spot and my head in Tairo's lap. Both of the guy's legs were leaning on the table. One of Jirou's hands was resting on my leg, the other one supporting his head, his elbow leaning on the back of the couch. One of Tairo's hands was resting on my shoulder, his thumb softly rubbing.  
I was suddenly and cruelly awoken by Iruka sitting on me.  
"New couch!" He yelled, laughing.  
I growled, pushed him off of me and tried to get my comfortable position again. Sadly, Jirou pushed my feet onto the ground and Tairo pushed me upright. I sat there groggily and rubbed my eyes, leaning down on Jirou's shoulder again and yawning.  
"Young men, what is going on here?" I heard my dad ask in a stern voice. My eyes snapped open and I saw my dad's face, pulling into a tight mask of anger and worry.  
Jirou and Tairo were standing there, trying to look innocent. Tairo had one of his hands behind his head, messing with his hair. His other hand was in the pocket of his jeans and he was grinning sheepishly. Jirou had his hands in the hind pockets of his jeans, an uncomfortable look on his face.  
"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked, stifling another yawn.  
"Calm down, dear. They were just watching a movie," My mom suggested. I turned around, since I didn't hear the movie anymore and saw it was muted.  
"Dad, please. Do you really think I'm that kind of girl?" I asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.  
"Well, no, but… Damnit, Kushina! Think before you act," he scolded.  
I saw my mom looking at my dad in a strange way.  
"Naruto," she said with an amused smile. "you of all people shouldn't be the one saying that to your daughter. You fool headed idiot."  
He surely hadn't expected that.  
"I-I- Hinata, that- You know- I-" he stumbled over his words and then sighed. "Fine. But you two are going home right away."  
"Yes, sir!" They said and they couldn't get away fast enough. I watched them stumble over themselves in their hurry to get away. How can anyone get scared of my dad like that, especially with the parents they had.  
"Off to bed with you three," My dad snapped and I quickly made my way upstairs and got ready for bed. Geez, what was up with him?  
I got up the next morning and went downstairs, only to discover the Uchiha's were there too.  
I'd entered the room and walked over to the fridge. When I went over to the table with my food I noticed everyone staring at me.  
"Kushina-neesan…" Tsunade said, her eye twitching.  
I hadn't realized they were in the room and I was still wearing my pyjamas, which consisted of an oversized shirt and some panties. Which meant my shirt just covered my ass, but showed my legs and suggested a lot.  
My eyes flew open and I blushed a bright red, especially after seeing Itachi was in the room. I dropped everything that I was holding and dashed towards the stairs, sprinting upstairs and locking the door to my room. I refused to open up for most of the day.  
When, finally everyone had left, I opened the door and slowly made my way downstairs, this time fully dressed.  
I peeked around the corner to see if anyone was in the living room and saw that my parents and my aunt and uncle were still in there. I tiptoed back to the beginning of the stairs when my stomach decided to betray me. It produced the loudest growl it had ever produced. I hadn't eaten all day, after all.  
"Kushina? Could you join us for a second?" My mom asked me. Of course I couldn't say no.  
I walked into the living room, still feeling extremely ashamed.  
"Sit down," Sasuke commanded and I did.  
"There's something we need to tell you," My mom said. I was anxious to get out of there so I nodded, but I kept looking at my feet and fidgeting. I didn't even notice the tone of her voice.  
"It's about your lineage."  
I looked up at that.  
"What about it?" I asked.  
"It's a long story. Promise me you won't interrupt until we've finished. After that you can ask all the questions you want." She said sternly and I promised. I was starting to get curious, since they were all very serious and a bit tense.  
"Some 18 years ago, the village came up with a plan that would help protect the entire world. They would create the ultimate ninja." My mom started.  
"As you know, the Hyuuga's and the Uchiha's are very powerful. The most powerful clans in the village nowadays." Sasuke continued.  
"As a result, to create the most powerful ninja, they wished for the Hyuuga and the Uchiha clan to have a child. Although Naruto and I, and Sasuke and Sakura were in love, we needed to do what was best for the village." My mom explained.  
"Wait- What are you saying? What does that all have to do with me?" I asked. This was getting weirder with every second.  
"Kushina. Listen first, ask later," my mom reprimanded me. I look away, pouting a little bit. I was just too impatient to sit here calmly and listen, especially if they were all going to act all tense like that.  
"Hinata is your mother alright," Sasuke said, smiling tenderly at me. "but Naruto isn't your father."  
A pause followed. I waited, breathless. This couldn't be true.  
"I am."


	7. Tears

The wind was blowing softly, the leaves rustling softly in the breeze. I could hear the soft murmuring of the brook. I was laying on my back, staring at the clouds, my hands fiddling with the grass. The patch of grass was lined with trees, a hidden clearing in the woods. It was so small that if had been much taller, I wouldn't have been able to lie here.  
It was silent for a couple of moments. They let me take it all in and I was too shocked to speak. This couldn't be true, right? I'd spent my entire lives with these people and now…  
My hair hung in front of my face as I looked down, thinking.  
"You're lying." Those three words contained all the anger, despair and fear. Fear that my entire life had been a lie.  
Thinking about it, there were a lot of similarities between me and my uncle. I'd always just assumed it was coincidence. And I had always wanted to be like him since I was a kid, merely because he acted so cool all the time.  
"I know it's hard for you to take in right now, just take your time to let it sink in and –" Sasuke started.  
"Hard?" I whispered. My throat contracted and it was the only volume at which I could produce any sound. "You've just told me my entire life has been a lie."  
"That's not true. Just because we're not related doesn't mean we aren't family," Naruto said, trying to cheer me up with a soft smile.  
I refused to let this go. They had lied to me. My entire life.  
I ran for the door and, once outside, kept running. They didn't call after me. I knew I had been right. I didn't belong to the family after all.  
I'd arrived at this meadow and laid down. I'd been admiring the beauty, trying to keep the thoughts from entering my mind. I couldn't deal with this right now. The clearing really was beautiful and calming.  
I didn't keep any thought out of my mind though.  
I wasn't really Jiraiya or Iruka's sister. They were my half-brothers. As were Itachi and Tsunade. I'd kissed my half-brother! I felt sick even thinking about it. Only sick people do stuff like that. Even though I knew that he was the one that came on to me and that I hadn't really had control over myself, even though I hadn't known this yet at the moment, it was preposterous.  
I didn't really belong anywhere. I wasn't truly an Uzumaki, like Jiraiya and Iruka. Neither was I truly an Uchiha, like Itachi and Tsunade. I was both and neither.  
I'd never felt so alone in my life.  
I stayed in the clearing like that for a while, thinking things over.  
I knew the sun could be setting any moment now, which meant I'd have to leave soon. I didn't have the courage to leave yet. I wasn't ready to face reality yet. I wanted to stay here a bit longer, in my small bubble. Time seemed to be frozen here and it seemed like nothing could harm me.  
So I stayed.  
After a while I got up and started to walk through the forest, not thinking about where I was going.  
I ended up on a cliff somewhere. I could see the waves hitting the rock when I looked down. I could hear the waves crashing and taste the salt in the air.  
The sun was going down. I watched it slowly sinking into the sea.  
I couldn't bring myself to leave for a while, even after the sun had disappeared. Finally, I tore my gaze from the horizon and walked through the forest calmly. It wasn't even that late, since it was late autumn.  
I headed up the stairs and as soon as I reached the roof of the building, I saw him. He was sitting on our usual bench, looking at the dark sky, as if nothing happened.  
I didn't say anything and sat down next to him.  
He didn't say anything either and we just sat there in silence.  
I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder.  
"Where have you been? Everybody was worried," Jirou said. It sounded very uninterested, but I guess that's his way of keeping himself calm. I did that too. I pretended like things were nothing, just to keep myself from freaking out.  
"Didn't seem that way," I muttered. I knew he was looking at me weird when he sighed.  
"You went by Tairo's house."  
I nodded. He'd been very busy with Setsuna, so busy that he probably hadn't even noticed the commotion.  
"It was their first date tonight. We didn't want to mess with that and we were pretty sure you wouldn't be hurt. Besides, we were with enough people to search for you," Jirou explained.  
It didn't diminish the feelings of hurt and betrayal though.  
I could feel tears starting to build in my eyes. It was strange since I hadn't cried yet. Right now, I wasn't crying for being lied to or from the shock, or from not belonging to any family anymore. No. I was crying because one of my best friends was on a date while I was facing a crisis.  
Of course I had Jirou. But it's not the same as Jirou and Tairo together.  
"Can I stay at your house tonight?" I asked with a thin voice.  
"Of course," he answered, kissing my hair. He'd put his arm around me and was hugging me tight.  
"Did they tell you…?" I could barely even pronounce the words. A whisper so faint I wasn't even sure if he'd heard it, was all the sound that I could produce.  
"No. They said if we wanted to know we had to ask you. They found they didn't have the right to give away your secrets. It's your choice, they said. You can tell me if you want, but I think you'd be better getting some rest right now. You can still tell me some other time. We've got all the time in the world," he said, smiling at me.  
He was such a sweetheart.  
We sat there for a while like that, not saying anything.


	8. Punching bag

I wasn't sure what had awakened me. I was still a bit drowsy when I took in my surroundings. A slight panic started when I didn't recognize where I was. Then I remembered.  
Tears started forming in my eyes and I clutched the sheets, trying not to cry.  
I heard the bed creak and an arm was slung around my waist. What?  
I felt a body being pressed against mine and someone nuzzling my hair.  
What was going on?!  
I turned my head and barely recognized Jirou's head. Right, I spent the night at his place. And since they only have three rooms and putting Jirou and Kazumi in the same room is just not possible, I slept in Jirou's room. In the same bed.  
His parents had called mine to let them know I was safe and sound.  
It was extremely uncomfortable for me to lie here like this, but Jirou was still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb him. He deserved his sleep, so I stayed as I was.  
I listened to Jirou's regular breathing and it calmed me. I started to relax more. It wasn't all that uncomfortable after I relaxed. In fact, it was quite cozy.  
I turned around, because I really wasn't lying in a comfortable way anymore. I'm not the kind of person to lay still for very long and even in my sleep, I move a lot.  
Jirou moved to a position where he was laying on his back, still with his arm around me. I was laying on my side, my head on his shoulder.  
I studied his face. He was pretty adorable while he was sleeping.  
He had a long straight nose and thin lips. His eyes were slanted downwards a bit and he had thick eyelashes.  
He had a rather long face and his half long blond hair was tousled from sleeping.  
He wasn't particularly handsome, looking at him objectively. But he had a certain charm when he talked. When he did anything really. He did everything in a peculiar way that set him off from everyone. He was different and that was one of the things I admired in him. He wasn't afraid to be different.  
"I know you think I'm a stud, but would you stop staring at me while I'm sleeping?" Jirou mocked.  
I kicked him out of the bed in response.

"Good morning, Mai-chan," Temari, Jirou's mom smiled at me.  
"Good morning," I said back. She was the scariest woman I'd ever met. She might be nice at the moment, but in another minute she might become enraged. You never knew what was going to happen here.  
Kazumi and Shikamaru, Jirou's brother and dad, were already sitting at the table.  
I was wearing one of Jirou's old shirts as pajamas, which was obviously too big for me. I felt like a kid in adult's clothes. Jirou was just so freaking tall.  
His parents were dressed already, but Jirou was topless and Kazumi was wearing a wifebeater.  
Temari asked me what I wanted for breakfast and let me choose from a couple of stuff. I didn't particularly like any of the things, since I'm a though eater. I just chose the one that seemed best because I didn't feel safe enough to tell her the truth.  
"See you tonight, kids. See you another time, Mai-san," Shikamaru said and left. He was probably going on a mission or training.  
"So what are you kids planning on doing today?" Temari asked, preparing her bag.  
"I'm going to hang out with Itachi and Kaori," Kazumi said. My heart made a little jump at the mention of Itachi's name and I silently scolded myself for it.  
"I dunno. Probably gonna train some or hang out with the rest of the group," Jirou said and I nodded.  
"Alright. Have fun and be home on time for dinner," she said and left as well.

"Do you know anything about Tairo and Setsuna?" I tried to get some gossip out of Jirou. We were at our usual spot again, but this time didn't sit down.  
He just shook his head.  
"Oh, c'mon Jirou!" I pouted. "I know you know something! You know what happened at the party and you still haven't told me that."  
"They kissed. You already know that."  
"You know there's more to it than that!"  
"Not for us guys."  
"Damn you Jirou. I'll find out through Setsuna or Takara," I sighed.  
I had a terrible curiosity and right now I just wanted to talk. I didn't want to think, because my thoughts would always go back to yesterday, the one thing I wanted to ignore for now.  
"There you are!" Someone said and we turned around to see the source.  
Kazumi and Kaori were leaning against the balustrade, but the one who'd spoken was Itachi.  
He stood next to me, looking intently at me.  
"We were all very worried, you know. What was going on?" He asked. He seemed genuinely curious. I guess they hadn't told him.  
Should I tell him? Maybe then he would stop trying to hit on me.  
"Eh, well… It's kind of complicated and… Well…" I couldn't bring myself to tell him somehow. I guess I was ashamed. I don't know why.  
"You don't have to tell him if you don't want to, Mai," Jirou sprung to my aid. The sweetheart.  
"Of course," Itachi said, but I noticed he actually really wanted to know. I had a very good intuition and I sometimes could sense stuff.  
I looked at the ground again, unsure of how to handle this situation.  
Itachi reached up with his hand and took hold of my chin. He tilted my head so I would have to look at him. He stood really close to me and I was suddenly scared he was going to kiss me again.  
Part of me was delighted at the thought of kissing him, he was so strikingly handsome. That part loved this boy and it was also the part of me that found pride and esteem very important. Just think of it, me together with the cutest guy in the village! How envious would everyone be!  
The other part of me was scared and disgusted. Partly because he was my half brother and partly because he acted so obnoxious lately.  
"Mai," he said softly, his gaze dropping towards my lips. It was the first time that he'd called me Mai instead of Kushina or Kush.  
And then Jirou punched him in the face.

"What the hell, Jirou?" Kazumi asked, grabbed his brother's shoulder and jerking him back.  
Itachi stood doubled over and was clutching his nose. I thought I saw blood. I was too shocked to respond in any way, so I just stood there blinking and probably gaping.  
I guess he'd read my body language and had seen how distressed I'd been. I'd definitely been more grossed out and I'd been excited.  
"Stop hitting on her, Itachi. She's not into you," Jirou grumbled.  
"I think we should let her decide for herself," Itachi said, standing up straight again. He was indeed bleeding, but I didn't think it was serious.  
They all looked at me now and I realized I had to say something.  
Itachi was looking rather pleased, like he knew I was going to say I liked him. Jirou was just worried.  
Kazumi looked annoyed. Well, his brother did hit his best friend.  
"You should stop," I said, my stomach doing summersaults like it was going crazy. I was staring at the floor again, unable to look at anyone. The truth is that I kind of did want it. It was exciting and the rush that followed just felt great. But I knew it was stupid and impossible.  
"You don't sound very convincing, though," Kazumi noticed.  
"Mai, be honest. Just because Jirou thinks-" Itachi said, only to be interrupted by Jirou.  
"Dude, I know Mai. She's one of my best friends. I would know she doesn't like you form how she acts. And she talks to me. So don't go saying things like that," Jirou snapped.  
Wow. It was the first time I'd Jirou this angry. He really hated Itachi, or at least it seemed that way.  
Itachi was about to answer, but I cut him off.  
"He's right Itachi. Back off. I'm not interested. And do you really think I would let anyone control me in any way? Even if no one agrees with me, you should know better than anyone that I would still do what I want," I scolded, then turned and walked away.  
He'd made Jirou angry and that doesn't happen a lot. Jirou is really laid-back. And by making him angry, Itachi had made me angry. I don't like people that piss of my friends.  
Nobody touches my friends or my family.

Jirou and I were sitting in that clearing I'd found the other day. Nobody would bother us there and we didn't want to run into Itachi and Kazumi again. I just hoped Tairo wouldn't be running around, searching for us.  
"You really hate Itachi, don't you?" I asked Jirou.  
He just nodded.  
"That guy…" He growled.  
I didn't respond.  
"Jirou?"  
"Yeah?"  
"About yesterday…"  
He looked at me, but I kept looking at the ground.  
"I freaked out because of something my parents told me," I smirked at the irony in that. To him it would be Hinata and Naruto, my parents. For me, it was already beginning to be Hinata and Sasuke.  
"Naruto is not my dad."  
It was silent en he just looked at me, questioning.  
"Then who is?" He finally asked.  
"Seriously, guys. First Mai hits Sasuke and now you, Jirou?" Tairo nagged, sitting down next to me.  
He then seemed to sense the mood.  
"What's going on?" He asked.  
Jirou explained what had happened yesterday and why they hadn't bothered him. He also explained why he had punched Sasuke.  
"Your brother seems really pissed," Tairo said, sighing.  
"I don't care. Sasuke was being a dick."  
"So, what were you going to say, Mai?" Tairo asked.  
"She'd just told me that Naruto isn't her dad apparently. She was just about to say who was."  
"That's why she freaked out yesterday, huh?"  
"Yeah." Jirou answered.  
"So, who's the lucky father?" Tairo asked, trying to lighten the mood.  
"Sasuke Uchiha." I answered, after having been silent throughout their conversation.


	9. Three little ducks

The door closed with a thud.  
"Nee-san!" Iruka yelled and ran up to me, giving me a hug. It warmed my heart that I got this welcome. Still, I wasn't a member of this family. Everything reminded me of that nowadays and made me feel slightly queasy.  
"Thank goodness you're back," My mom said softly, smiling tenderly. I couldn't look her in the eye. I knew she at least was related to me. But I still couldn't.  
"You got us all pretty worried," Naruto grumbled. I almost thought of him as my dad, but quickly corrected myself. He wasn't your dad, Kushina. Remember that.  
It was though. They'd been my family for my entire life, I couldn't just forget all of that. They'd still be special to me.  
I didn't respond. I simply didn't know how to. What was I supposed to do in this situation? I guess Jiraiya and Iruka didn't know.  
I peeled Iruka's arms from around my legs and headed upstairs, not hugging him back like usual.  
I couldn't stay downstairs and pretend like nothing happened. Stuff did happen.  
I didn't see any of the looks they threw me when I headed upstairs.

"Nee-san?"  
"What?" I asked without looking up. I was laying on my bed, burying my head in the cushion.  
I thought I heard a sob and I looked up.  
Iruka had opened my bedroom door and stood there in the door opening. He was clutching his favorite toy in his hands, a worn teddy bear. It was one of my old stuffed animals and Iruka idolized me a bit, so he'd taken my old one. Kids at school had bullied him because of it, but I didn't have to heart to tell him to throw it away. He loved it so much.  
His eyes were tearing up and I could see he was holding back tears.  
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up and opening my arms. He crossed the room and threw himself in my arms. His shoulders shook from the sobs that racked his small body. I sensed he was trying to hold back his crying, trying to act like boys are supposed to.  
I hugged him tight and rocked him back and forth. I started humming one of the nursery rhymes my mother used to sing to me.

Three little ducks went out to play,  
Over the hills and far away,  
Mother Duck said  
"Quack quack quack,"  
But only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks went out to play,  
Over the hills and far away,  
Mother Duck said  
"Quack quack quack,"  
But only one little duck came back.

One little duck went out to play,  
Over the hills and far away,  
Mother Duck said  
"Quack quack quack,"  
But none of the little ducks came back.

Mother Duck went out some day,  
Over the hills and far away,  
Mother Duck said  
"Quack quack quack,"  
And all of the little ducks came back.

"Did I do something wrong, nee-san?" Iruka asked. He'd stopped crying and was looking up at me, his expression so tense and worried. I smiled.  
"Of course you didn't, you silly goose," I said, pushing his hair out of his face.  
"Then why didn't you give me a hug? You always give me a hug."  
I sighed. How do you explain a situation like this to a 9 year old?  
"There's some stuff going on, but it's not your fault. I swear. I couldn't ever be mad at you, now could I?" I ask rhetorically, cupping his face with my hands. I leaned my forehead against his and looked into his eyes, to make sure he got it.  
A small smile started to form on his lips and soon evolved into a full grin. He wrenched himself out of my grip and I took hold of him and we wrestled for a bit, after which I let him defeat me.  
He pressed a small kiss on my cheek, then went downstairs because he was hungry.

It was almost dinnertime. I could smell the food being prepared. I didn't want to go downstairs though. How should I act? Like nothing happened?  
The door creaked open slowly and I looked up. I was sitting at my desk, drawing random figure on a sheet of paper.  
My dad – no, Naruto – stood in the door opening.  
"Can I come in?" He asked.  
I shrugged and he entered. He sat down on my bed and was silent for a while.  
"I understand that you're upset, don't get me wrong. But you've got to understand that we're still your family," He said.  
I didn't answer.  
"Even if we're not related, I raised you like you were mine. I taught you how to walk and how to talk. You were quite the active toddler," He paused and smiled. "I've always been there for you and that will not change. You've always been my daughter and you always will be."  
I felt tears threatening to spill again. I couldn't seem to stop crying since they'd told me.  
"Mai?"  
It was the first my dad hadn't called me Kushina. Ever since I told them I didn't want to be named after someone and wanted to be called Mai, my dad had protested. He'd kept calling me Kushina, insisting I should feel honored to be named after my grandmother. Well, I guess she isn't really my grandmother.  
I got off the chair and sat on the bed next to him. I kept looking at the ground, not wanting him to see how I was fighting of tears. I was a bit reluctant to hug him, the knowledge that he wasn't really my father holding me back.  
He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.  
I realized that even though he's not my real dad and even though things will be different, everything will work out. I guess things hadn't changed that much after all.


	10. Toads

I was standing near the only entrance – and exit – of the village, ready to get going. Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi and I were going on a quest together. Yay, me and three guys. I would be able to handle myself though. I don't Itachi would dare to try anything. Not with Naruto and Sasuke there.  
Naruto and I were already there and we were waiting for Sasuke and Itachi.  
Naruto had told me about the mission last night, after diner. Kakashi, the village leader, had put together the team for this mission himself. That's how I knew how important the mission was. It would be a piece of cake though. With both Naruto and Sasuke there, Itachi and I probably wouldn't have to do anything.  
"Let's go," Sasuke said. I'd been lost in thought and looked up to see Sasuke and Itachi standing next to us.  
Itachi practically ignored me the whole time. I mostly talked with Sasuke, which I thought was kind of awkward. You know, with the whole him being my dad thing.  
We arrived at this really tiny village. They'd been the ones that had requested a team.  
The leader of the village took Naruto and Sasuke with him, to his office. Which meant Itachi and I were left in the village, alone.  
There was an awkward silence. I didn't want to be the one to speak first and apparently neither did he.  
I'd sat down on one of the benches that were scattered across the square and Itachi was leaning against the wall of one of the buildings that surrounded the square.  
It's funny how it's called a square, yet it's shaped like a circle. I decided I liked the word 'plaza' better.  
"So," I broke the silence.  
Itachi threw me a look and then decided to ignore me again.  
"Tch," I muttered. What was wrong with this guy?  
I thought I'd ask him.  
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" I asked.  
"I figured the best way not to get punched is not to do anything. And since I get punched all the time, I thought I would actually apply it," He retorted.  
"I really don't get you," I snapped. "First you act like you're all in to me and you actually kiss me and then you decide to ignore me? I hit you because you were being too damn creepy. So if you don't want to get hit, try acting like a normal person!"  
He merely looked at me, his face not showing any reaction at all.  
How could he stay so calm? I curled my hands into fists, trying to push back all the irritations. Just the fact that he was so calm annoyed me. Everything about him annoyed me.  
I got up from the bench and started crossing the plaza.  
"Where are you going?" Itachi asked.  
I ignored him and started exploring the village.

I walked through the village, occasionally entering a shop. There was a surprisingly large amount of shops, especially in comparison to the amount of houses. There must be a flourishing economy.  
"Don't you know it's dangerous to explore a village alone at times like this?" A voice whispered in my ear.  
I whirled around and kicked high, aiming at the person's face. He had disappeared before I could hit him though.  
He must've appeared behind me, because I felt a presence at my back. Before I could turn around to hit him, he had gotten hold of my wrist and kept me immobile.  
Then he released me and I turned around, cautious but not attacking. This enemy was seriously out of my league.  
"Not bad," Sasuke said. "but you still need some training."  
I sighed.  
"You really scared me there," I scolded.  
"Be more careful then. Why aren't you with Itachi anyway? It's not very smart to split up," Sasuke asked.  
I shrugged. How could I possibly explain everything? That I'd kissed my half brother? That I really really like him, but hate him at the same time? That I can't seem to figure out whether he's amazingly sweet or a douche bag?  
"I may not have been the one who raised you, but you're still my kid. I can still be worried about you. Don't go wandering off on your own," Sasuke told me.  
I didn't know how to respond. Did I suddenly get two dads? Oh boy. One dad was already bad if you wanted to get a boyfriend, but two?  
And who was supposed to be my real dad now? My biological dad or the one who raised me? This was getting more confusing all the time.

"Alright. Let's investigate!" Naruto shouted. They'd just explained to us what the details were and the plan they'd come up with.  
The sun was starting to go down.  
"Isn't it dangerous to go into the forest at night?" I asked. I was secretly scared of the dark. Well, not really about the darkness itself, more of what could be lurking in it. Sadly, I had a very hyperactive imagination. Combine that with all the horror movies I've seen and you get the picture.  
"Scared?" Sasuke smirked.  
"No, of course not," I said fiercely. "I was just thinking, we wouldn't want to go through any unnecessary troubles. You know, not making the quest any more difficult than it already is."  
"I wouldn't say no to a battle or two," Naruto grinned, cracking his knuckles.  
"Difficulties? With the four of us? Not likely," Sasuke chuckled.  
So, we went into the forest. I acted all hyped up, to not show my fear. I guess it's a defense mechanism. By pretending like I'm not scared, I push away my fear and I actually am less scared.

What was that sound? Did I just see movement there? What was that rustling in that bush?  
I thought things like this constantly. I was moving stealthily, my gaze flying from to spot to spot. I heard every rustle of leaves.  
I was so tense that I nearly yelped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw it was Naruto. My heart was beating against my chest rapidly and I thought they might hear it. It so dark, I could barely make out his face. I had to use all my other senses.  
"Think of toads," He whispered in my ear, leaning forward. That made me chuckle.  
As a kid, I used to be scared of the dark as well. So at bedtime I was always scared to death. And when I woke up at night, Naruto used to come and cheer me up. He'd always tell me a story, one about a toad. Gamatatsu, a toad whose only purpose in life was to eat, went on an adventure. He was so silly he got into trouble. He'd usually be saved by his brother, Gamakichi or he solved the troubles himself on his own silly way. The story was different because I'd gotten tired of it after a while and it hadn't helped anymore, so he'd changed it.  
Naruto actually had a contract with toads, so he could summon them whenever he wanted, to help him in battle or with something else.  
He'd gotten it through his teacher, after whom Jiraiya was named.  
I wasn't scared anymore.

I heard the leaves rustling and I knew there were dozens of them.  
"Watch out!" I shouted, but the rest had already realized as well. I ducked and avoided the kunai.  
I grabbed one and ran towards one of the enemies, whirling around and kicking him in the face. In the same movement I whirled around a bit more and slashed at the enemy with the kunai.  
He stroke back but I blocked it and lashed out again. Some more enemies came after me and I knew I had to get cover. They'd blocked me off, I could only go towards a tree. I quickly figured out what to do.  
I ran towards the tree at full speed, my pursuers chuckling at my stupidity. I kept running and even put a couple of steps on the trunk of the tree, after which I did a somersault and landed behind them. I ran away and dove into a bush. I quickly took off my jacket, to get more movement space and got out of my shoes.  
I went into the fight again, closing my eyes since I couldn't see much because of the darkness.  
I relied on my sense of hearing and my sense of touch, sensing the vibrations in the air.  
Because my feet were bare now, I could sense the movements on the ground. My primary element was earth, so I used earth jutsu as well. But I could use it in more ways than that.  
I fought with the attackers, defeating some, but they were though and were always replaced by others.

Unlike them, having the advantage of numbers, I was starting to get tired. We'd been fighting for about an hour already.  
Naruto and Sasuke were winning easily, but there were seriously a lot of enemies. Even Itachi was doing better than me.  
I already had quite a few injuries, but I kept fighting. They weren't that bad, but it still drained my power bit by bit.  
A particularly strong enemy lashed out at my leg and I fell. He swung his sword at my head and I could roll away just in time. I scrambled up and started running, which was difficult with that nasty cut in my calf.  
I scrambled through the bushed, thorns scratching all over my lower body, drawing even more blood. I kept going though, not paying it any attention.  
I heard the sound of the sword wing through the air and closed my eyes. I couldn't do anything. Although I really didn't want to die, I really couldn't do anything right now.  
I waited for the blow, but it didn't come.  
I opened my eyes and saw Naruto standing in front of me, the sword slowly being pulled back out of his stomach.  
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It couldn't be true.  
Naruto fell to his knees and the enemy raised his sword, to finish him off for real.  
No! This wasn't happening! I didn't know what I would do if he died.  
My eyes started to tear up and I shook my head.  
I screamed and it rang in my ears. It didn't seem to stop.  
I can't remember what happened after that.


	11. Family

Is it all about genes? About DNA? Is raising someone enough to be called their parent?  
What is family? It is having similar genes? Aren't a husband and wife family? Can't close friends be counted as family?  
Family are the people you can be 100% yourself with, those who love you unconditionally. The ones that know you better than you know yourself, the ones that you would do anything for.  
That's what I decided to be true.

I woke up, back in our village. I was in the hospital.  
Sasuke was sitting on a chair next to my bed, studying me.  
"What happened? Is dad okay?" I asked hurriedly. A faint smile crossed his lips, after which he became serious again.  
"He's recovering quickly. They're healing the stab wound right now. Apart from that he's got some bruises, minor injuries really. He'll be fine," Sasuke explained. "Thanks to you."  
I looked down. It had been because of me. I had been so useless that I'd gotten him into trouble.  
"You should be proud." I could actually hear a hint of pride in his voice.  
I stared at him, unbelieving.  
"Proud?" I asked. "Of what? Putting him in danger by being useless? By not being able to take care of myself? I don't have anything to be proud of. I was just dead weight."  
Why was I tearing up again? Everything seemed to go wrong lately. Why couldn't things be normal again? I just wanted to go back to when life was still simple and easy.  
"You don't remember?" He asked. "I figured this would happen."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Naruto would've died if you hadn't saved him. I think you did it unconsciously," Sasuke said. He paused for a moment, thinking.  
"Seriously, what happened?" I asked, starting to get a bit agitated.  
"You activated your Byakugan."  
"If I activated it, then why haven't my eyes worsened?" That was my curse. Now that I thought about it, it was probably because I had the Byakugan and the Sharingan. It must be too much for one pair of eyes.  
So every time I used the Byakugan, my eyesight worsened. That's why I didn't use it anymore. Hell, they'd forbidden me using it. At the rate my eyes were worsening, I would've been blind by now if I'd kept using it.  
"I don't know. It's a mystery to me as well. Let's just be thankful it didn't happen. Anyway, in the same moment, you released nearly all of the chakra you had left. Not all, otherwise you would have been dead. Most, though. It wasn't a jutsu, the chakra didn't take a specific form. No, you just sent it outwards to all sides. That's what did in all the remaining enemies," Sasuke explained. "Not only did you save Naruto, you saved Itachi and me as well. We would have fought for much longer and gotten injured much worse. We owe you, Kushina."  
I swallowed hard. I did that? How? I wasn't even all that powerful.  
I couldn't help but feel proud though. For once, I'd been the ninja the village had wished me to be.

"Kushina! You should be resting," Sakura said, surprised.  
"Seems like she got Naruto's annoying habit of not knowing when to stop," Sasuke sighed.  
He'd wanted to keep me in bed, saying I needed to rest. But I needed to see my dad. So, I'd gotten up and limped towards the door, the wound on my leg not fully healed yet.  
"Dad?" I said softly, taking hold of his hand.  
"We kept him asleep, to let him heal first. It'll hurt less that way," Sakura explained. She was one of the best medical ninja in the world, her teacher being Tsunade, the legendary medical ninja.  
I sat down on one of the chairs and waited, holding his hand and hoping he'd be all right.

"Kushy-nee! I heard you kicked ass!" Tsunade grinned. "Awesome!"  
"I didn't really do much," I resisted.  
"Dad told me that you saved everyone, though," Tsunade protested.  
"I got them into trouble as well."  
It was silent.  
"You're wrong."  
I turned in my seat.  
"Dad? You're awake?" I asked.  
"Damn, I'm hungry," He grinned.  
"Idiot." The tears spilled out of my eyes, but I smiled though them as I hugged him.  
"Thank god you're okay," I muttered.  
He smiled and hugged me back.

"Typically you," Jirou sighed. "Always getting into trouble."  
We were sitting on our usual spot again. Tairo was leaning against the balustrade, while Jirou and I were lying on the bench.  
"It turned out alright though. And I think I needed that. The wakeup call, I mean. I've realized that it doesn't matter whether you share DNA or not. That's not what family is about." I mused.  
"Then what is it about, oh almighty leader," Tairo joked. I sometimes went all philosophic and that was his standard response.  
I smiled and explained.  
"As I said, it's not about sharing a physical bond with someone. To me, family is the people with who you can be truly yourself, those that know you better than you know yourself. They're the ones that will love you, no matter what. They're the ones that you will do everything for. And they'll do the same for you."  
They laughed at that. They weren't laughing because it was silly, but because it was true.  
Tairo moved in front of us, bowed down and messed with my hair, grinning. Jirou put his arm around my shoulder and smiled.  
"That means we're family, right?" He said.  
I smiled.  
"Jep. You're stuck with me."  
"And gladly so."


	12. Good or bad mojo?

"Seriously?" I asked. I was astounded. Jirou just told me Takara had kissed Itachi.  
"How did he react?" I couldn't help but ask it. Even if he was a total asshole now, I couldn't just forget how we used to be best friends and how sweet he had been then. And of course I couldn't forget how sweetly he had kissed me that one night.  
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of all those sweet memories. What was wrong with me? He was clearly being a douche nowadays.  
I seemed to have become an entity with two personalities lately. I just couldn't figure out what think of everything.  
"How should I know?" Jirou asked. "It's not like I'm interested in that stuff anyway. I just thought you might want to know."  
"Aw, you're such a sweetheart," I said, pressing a kiss on his cheek.  
He frowned and looked at me.  
I wasn't usually that cuddly or sweet or whatever. The only people I actually hugged or kissed were Iruka and my mom. It used to be my dad and Jiraiya too, and my friends, but that was when I was smaller. Now, I only did that with those that were really close to me.  
Even then, I wasn't like that with Jirou or Tairo. For one, they were boys and it would be weird. Second, the relationship we had was more boyish, more arguing and fighting and stuff. And lastly, I kinda cared about my image. I know it's strange. I just don't want to come over as weak or something. And somehow I associate sweet and soft with weak. So I act though, because I really want to be though. To be able to protect everyone.  
"You're oddly nice today. Quick, say something mean," Jirou smirked. "Wouldn't wanna mess up your mojo."  
"My mojo is fine. Can't a girl just be happy?" I stuck out my tongue and smiled.  
I was really happy. I'd finally figured the family thing out. At least it was comfortable at home again. I wasn't sure what to do with Sasuke though. Should we go all daddy-daughter like? Or just continue like always?  
Anyway, I wasn't going to worry about that now.  
I yawned and laid myself down so that my head was in Jirou's lap. I closed my eyes.  
"What're you doing, Mai?"  
"You're a nice pillow," I smirked.  
He chuckled.  
"We really get abused, now don't we Jirou?" I heard Tairo say. I opened my eyes and got up a little to look around.  
"When did you get here Tairo? And where the hell are you?" I asked. "Did you die and are you haunting me from the grave now?"  
"Of course. That would be the first thing I would do. Especially if you were showering or something," Tairo laughed, smacking me on the head.  
He'd been standing right behind me.  
I punched him on the shoulder and chuckled. I laid down again then.  
"Oh c'mon, Mai. I don't get any space to sit?" Tairo whined jokingly. "I'll throw you off the bench if you don't move."  
I lifted my legs in response, making Jirou laugh.  
Tairo sighed and sat down and I put my legs on him.  
"You guys make such a good couch," I sighed.  
They laughed and I'm sure they looked at each other and mutually made the decision, although I didn't see it.  
They pushed me off the bench, sending me rolling into the ground.  
"Haha." I fake laughed. "Very mature, guys."  
I got up and sat down between them.  
Feeling the need to tow them down a bit, I pulled their heads close.  
"No cookies for you guys this weekend," I whispered evilly.  
"Aw, but Mai! Your mom makes the best cookies!" They played along.  
"Idiots," I laughed, smacking their heads.  
They started tickling me in response.  
And of course they got kicked in the face again.

I was at home, lounging in the couch with Iruka and Jiraiya. We were watching some kids show Iruka loved and I was just munching on these delicious chocolate chip cookies my mom had made.  
Right now, she was on a mission, so my dad had to take care of us. Which meant we could pretty much do what we wanted.  
I chuckled, since the show was so lame it was funny. Of course I could understand why Iruka loved it, but to me it was just so silly.  
The door opened and closed. From all the noise I guessed multiple people had entered.  
And I was correct. My dad came in with Sasuke, Tsunade and Itachi.  
Oh boy.  
"Nee-san! Let's go upstairs and do each other's hair and makeup!" Tsunade said excitedly.  
I made a face. I'd very much prefer to lounge on the couch and eat then to try and make my impossible hair do anything. We'd probably end up doing Tsunade's makeup and not mine, so that part didn't bother me much.  
"Please?" She begged.  
"Ugh, fine. But I'm not going to try and make anything of this monster you call hair," I said, pointing to the messy ponytail I was sporting.  
"Fine, we can do my hair then!" She cooed.  
I smiled. She was so adorable when she was excited.  
Sasuke chuckled and my dad grinned. Great. They were just laughing at me in my face.  
"Wow, you guys are an incredibly big help I have to say," I muttered before following Tsunade upstairs. I could hear them laughing while I made my way up the stairs.  
I stumbled and would've fallen off the stairs if I hadn't gripped the railing in time.  
"Damn it, Jirairya! How many times have I told you to clean up your socks!" I yelled.  
"How many times have I told you to stop being so damn clumsy!" He yelled back.  
"Clean it up, squirt!"  
"What gives you the right to command me?!"  
"My rights as firstborn!"  
It was silent after that, except for the snickers and the chuckles of everyone else.  
There was never quiet in this house. Except when we were watching TV. Well, not even always then.

I finally got downstairs again, having spent about an hour and a half helping Tsunade. It's not that I don't enjoy talking with her. We have fun. She's a nice girl. But she's too girly for me.  
I dropped down in the couch, faking fatigue.  
Only I hadn't seen that apart from Iruka and Jiraiya, Itachi was sitting on the couch as well. So I kind of ended up practically sitting on his lap.  
"Holy shit!" I cursed, jumping up. "I didn't even see you!"  
He chuckled, but didn't really pay any attention to me apart from that.  
I went to the kitchen, would-be to get something to eat. But really to calm myself down. Just that tiniest moment on his lap made gotten me blushing and my heart running a marathon.  
Damn it.

"I'm gonna go train a bit. I could use a partner," Itachi said, eyeing me.  
"Eh, sure?" I said. I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but I couldn't really decline with Naruto and sasuke there. Damn this was getting complicated, because technically they were both my dad. In different ways yeah, but which one was I really supposed to call my dad. Ugh, I didn't even want to think of it.  
I got up, took my jacket and we were outside.  
As we were walking towards the training field, it was silent. Neither of us said anything. I thought it was rather awkward. And of course I was looking at my oh-so-interesting feet again.  
He took a turn we weren't supposed to make and I stopped.  
"Aren't we supposed to go that way?" I asked.  
"I know a better training spot and it's this way," He answered and resumed walking.  
I didn't really have a choice but to follow him.  
We arrived at this clearing in the forest, with a river flowing through it. I remembered our two families going swimming here all the time.  
"You always train here?" I asked.  
"Yeah, at least when I'm in town," He answered.  
He stood there and I thought he looked a tad bit nervous.  
"Well, let's train," I said and grabbed one of my kunai. Mine were a bit different than the normal ones. They had three spikes instead of one. They actually belonged to my dad, he used them for some kind of jutsu that he learned from his dad. As long as I held one of these close to me, he'd always be able to come to my aid if I needed him. Wherever I was or wherever he was, he'd always be able to be with me in a matter of seconds.  
I ran at Itachi and slashed with the kunai, but he was too quick.  
We practiced body combat like this for a bit.

I was lying on the ground on my back, panting. I'd never trained so long in my life.  
I looked to the side and saw Itachi stripping.  
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, blushing. Damn, he was hot.  
He had a tanned skin and he was really muscled.  
He'd stripped down to his boxers and jumped into the river.  
"You're crazy." I shook my head.  
I tried, but I couldn't keep my eyes away from him. I turned around and started watching the clouds, as a last resort.  
"You're not gonna swim?" Itachi asked. He was standing right behind me and was leaning over, so his face was in front of mine. Droplets of water were falling from his hair and the tip of his nose.  
"Eh, no. I-I think 'll skip this time," I stuttered. I was definitely not prepared for this.  
"Too bad," He said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me upright.  
Before I could do anything, he'd grabbed me by my waist and slung me over his shoulder.  
A bit dazed, I tried to think. I couldn't, since my face was hanging right in front of his ass. This was so damn awkward.  
"Put me down Itachi!" I snapped out of it.  
He chuckled.  
"Let's just have some fun, Mai."  
He threw me into the water and jumped after me.  
He grabbed me again and I struggled to get out of his grip. He laughed and it was such a contagious laugh that I started laughing and giggling. I was starting to have fun and soon we were playing in the river. We were pushing each other under water and basically just doing what everybody always does in rivers.  
He'd taken hold of me again and I was struggling to get loose, to push him under water, when he suddenly held very still. His hands were holding my arms and I was pretty much being pressed against his chest.  
He looked into my eyes and I got lost in those clear blue lights.  
He leaned in and I stood up on my tiptoes. I wasn't aware of anything but him. My stomach was doing somersaults and my heart was running a marathon.  
From the moment his lips touched mine, heat exploded throughout my body.  
It wasn't a sweet, soft kiss. It was hard and full of passion.  
He put one arm around my waist, pulling me closer and the other on the back of my head.  
I put my arms around his shoulders and clawed in his hair.  
I pushed myself against him, wanting to get as close to him as I could.  
Then my mind caught up.  
WHAT WAS I DOING?  
I was kissing my half-brother!  
My eyes flew open and I pushed him away with all my power.  
"Mai? What?" Itachi said, frowning. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."  
I stood there, in the river, clutching my sides to keep myself from bursting into tears. I'd loved it. 'd absolutely loved it. But it was wrong.  
I shaking, both from the cold and from the emotions.  
"Mai?"  
I shook my head.  
"Just go."  
"I can't leave you here like this."  
I didn't answer.  
Very slowly, so that I could push him away or run away, he put his arms around me and pulled me in for a hug.  
The tears pushed through and I was crying in his arms. His head rested atop of mine and murmured assurances.  
"Itachi, this can't happen again." I said, holding back a sob.  
"Why?" He asked, sounding confused.  
"Because..." Could I tell him? Should I?  
"Because you're my half-brother."


	13. Men, not made for solving love issues

"That's how it is, huh?" Itachi mused.  
We were lying on the grass besides the river. I'd just told him everything, starting from the moment they'd told me Sasuke was my real dad.  
I studied his face, trying to gauge what he thought.  
"I've suspected it for years now."  
"What?" I asked, sitting up.  
"It isn't hard to see, Mai. You two are alike in so many ways," Itachi explained.  
"Then why…" I didn't finish the question. He understood anyway.  
"We're not related in any way, Mai. Well, I guess they haven't told you about me, since they didn't tell me about you," He said.  
"What on earth are you talking about Itachi?" I was starting to get annoyed. Couldn't he just cut to the chase?  
"It's a long story. I'll tell you but I'm warning you it's really long and quite complicated."  
I nodded and he started to explain.  
"Firstly, do you know the story of the Uchiha massacre?" He asked.  
"I've heard about it, but nobody actually told me."  
"I'll start with that then," He said. "Sasuke had a brother called Itachi, who I was named after. Itachi was a pacifist and when the Uchihas starting plotting a war against the village, the village made Itachi murder his entire clan. Why the Uchihas wanted to starts a war is an entirely different story that I'll tell you another time, if you want to.  
Anyway, Itachi murdered his clan, but couldn't bring himself to kill his little brother. Sasuke was the only survivor. Itachi told Sasuke that he had to become strong if he wanted to live, for Itachi wanted to test himself against him. So Sasuke became obsessed with obtaining power, to kill his brother."  
He paused for a bit.  
"Now the actual story. When our parents were studying at the Academy, they knew each other already. My mom, Sakura had a huge crush on Sasuke, who wouldn't even glance in her direction. Naruto, on the other hand, was madly in love with Sakura.  
The three of them got put into a team together. Naruto and Sasuke couldn't stand each other and were always competing as rivals.  
After a couple of years, Sasuke got an offer he couldn't decline. He joined Orochimaru to gain power. Orochimaru was evil and stayed young by taking over other people's bodies, which is why he wanted Sasuke.  
Naruto, Sakura and their other friends from Konoha kept fighting to get Sasuke back to the village. Sakura was still in love with Sasuke and Naruto still loved Sakura.  
One time, they fought against Sasuke and he tried to kill her. Sakura told herself he wasn't worth it anymore and told Naruto he loved him.  
He didn't buy it and it wasn't really true either.  
Eventually, Sasuke killed his brother and after that he discovered Itachi's true feelings. Itachi had murdered his clan to save his village, because he was a pacifist. Itachi had made Sasuke hate him so that he would be strong. If Sasuke was strong, nobody would be able to hurt him. He played the bad guy out of love. He suffered because he loved his little brother so much.  
Sasuke came back to Konoha and became good again. Together with Naruto he saved the village.  
You know who ended up with each other."  
I waited, thinking everything over.  
"That still doesn't explain how we aren't related, Itachi," I said.  
"Before Sasuke returned, Sakura had sought comfort with Naruto one time. And that's where I appear on stage."  
"What?" I exclaimed.  
This was seriously getting more complicated every day.  
"Naruto is my dad. I found out while we were in Sunagakure," He explained. Sunagakure was the village they'd moved to for four years.  
"Before we moved, I actually thought you were my half-sister. That's why I turned you down, remember?"  
So that's why…  
I nodded. I didn't think I could speak. This was all so… So unrealistic.  
"So, basically, our dads are switched?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.  
"Yeah," He said. "You okay?"  
"I-I'm fine. I'm just trying to make sense of this."  
"I figured you'd noticed by now," He said.  
He had a point. There were some similarities. He had Naruto's blue eyes. They had the same goofy grin. And although Itachi acted more like Sasuke and I acted more like Naruto, that was merely a consequence of our upbringing. The basics of our personalities did resemble our both our moms and our dads.  
"You're right. I should have. I don't know why I didn't," I said, face palming. "It seems so obvious now."  
"Don't beat yourself," Itachi grinned and leaned in to kiss me.  
I have to say I was quite shocked at this. I hadn't even considered the possibility that we could be together.  
I didn't push him away or anything, though.

I needed to talk to someone about all of this. I knew Tairo or Jirou were so cranky about Itachi they wouldn't even think. They'd just tell me to keep away from him, no matter what I told them.  
I couldn't talk to Setsuna, she'd tell everyone. Takara liked Itachi, so I didn't expect much from her either. I made mental note to ask Itachi about that kiss sometime.  
I didn't want to talk to my mom about this, she'd just go all 'follow your heart' and 'I'll love you no matter what', which wasn't really what I needed right now.  
I didn't even consider my dad. He would freak out by even thinking about me kissing anyone. Geez, he was too overprotective.  
I didn't really know who else to talk to. No way would I tell Jiraiya anything. Iruka was just too young. And Tsunade was Itachi's brother, so that wasn't really an option either.  
Damn it. It really seemed like there was no on I could talk to about this.

"Oh? Training?" Sasuke asked.  
He was leaning against a tree, looking at me.  
I was on one of the training fields, punching a log. I was letting all my frustration loose and it felt pretty damn good.  
I stopped and sighed. Flexing my hands, which were cramped, I noticed my knuckles were hurt. They were bleeding from all the punching.  
Sasuke walked over to me and bound some strips of clothing from his sweater around my hands.  
"You shouldn't waste your clothing on me," I commented.  
"You shouldn't be punching logs 'till your hands bleed," He retorted.  
He had a point.  
"What's gotten you so worked up?" He asked.  
"Nothing…"  
I didn't think he would understand. For one, he was a guy. Secondly, he wasn't a teen. Thirdly, what if he responded like my dad would? Well, Naruto. Technically he's my dad as well. Damn it. I couldn't even organize my own brain.  
"I wouldn't call this nothing though."  
I understood that he would not let this go. I needed to talk to someone anyway, I couldn't just keep this bottled up. And why not tell him? Sasuke seemed pretty understanding of most stuff.  
So, I decided to tell him.  
I sat down and leaned against a tree, warning him that it was a long story.  
"So, basically, I had a crush on Itachi, before you guys left. But that didn't really work out… He, uhm, turned me down, you know. Not that I really cared that much, though," I automatically tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but I realized it wasn't true. Pretending nothing's up wasn't going to work anymore.  
"I actually did care. I mean, you can't not care when someone turns you down, right? So yeah. And then you guys returned and I didn't know what to think. I still liked him, but he acted like such an asshole all the time. And then I found out you're my dad and it just seemed totally wrong. I mean, I thought we were half-siblings and you don't start anything with your half-brother.  
But then Itachi told me Naruto was his dad and everything just got more complicated.  
I don't know what to think honestly. Part of me really likes him and part of me hates his gut. There's something inside me that says this isn't meant to be. I don't know why though. I still can't help but like him, even if there's that something.  
This is all too confusing," I explained. I ended up hugging my knees.  
"I honestly don't know what you should do either," Sasuke said, sighing. "You picked a tough problem. I guess all I can say is that if you don't fully want to, you shouldn't. Of course, it's your choice."  
"That doesn't really help me out at all…" I complained.  
Sasuke chuckled.  
"I'm a man, we aren't made for these situations."  
I punched him on the shoulder, but he had accomplished his goal. He made me laugh and feel a bit better.


End file.
